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Fri Mar 17, 2006 7:08 pm
How to skateboard
How to skateboard
just wanted to post this in case you want to learn.
Ok, so you want to start skateboarding, the first thing you need to do is the gear. Skateboarding is a big sport now and a lot of companies are trying to get noticed, lower there prices is one thing they do, it isn't the best idea to by a Walmart or Zellers skateboard and now a days you can usually get a really good board for a low price. Go to a local skate shop and tell the guy you want to start skating but don't have lot's of money. He will probably point you straight to the decks, the blank decks. I know when you start skating you want pictures but later you will realize it's not a big factor of buying a deck. Look at the deck, now you have to know something to judge if it is good or not. First thing you want to look at the width, it should be big enough so that when you step on it your feet hang out on both sides, I would recommend starting with a 7.5" deck. Most people like that size and keep with it the whole time they skate. Then you should look at the concave, (the dip in the board, it helps you flip tricks and it feels nice) it doesn't matter much at the start, later you will find out if you like them or not as you go through decks and try other peoples boards. If the deck look alright just take it, black decks are usually cheaper then decks with pictures. Now you need some trucks, all trucks pretty much cost the same, but if there is no picture they can cost less. I would recommend starting with something durable, strong and that turns well. Independent's are a good choice. For a beginner all wheels are the same, only the color and picture are different. A good choice of wheels are bullets, they are blank wheels (even though they do have a little picture) and they are really hard, but not too hard. They last forever and don't chip, plus they cost less then most wheels. Next are bearings, you will find that most bearings are rated ABEC 3, 5 or 7., For a beginner 3's are perfect, even for people like me that have been skating a long time ABEC 3's are still good. A good type of bearings to start with are Reds. A lot of people like them, they aren't bad and they don't cost too much. Everything else won't matter as much, hardware, risers and grip tape don't matter a lot.
Having skate shoes helps a lot, they are designed to be wide and stable so it is very hard for you to land on the side of you foot and damage your ankle. They are also designed to withstand the way you treat them when you skate. Now since skate shoes are one of the biggest style of shoes you will see lot's of people wearing them and many new companies are coming out. If you go to a sports store and look at some shoes I will pretty much guarantee you that you will find some kind of skate shoe. Sports stores have great shoes, I admit I used to by shoes from there, I find they last longer then some of the more well known companies like DC or Osiris. These shoes that I am talking about (the sports store shoes) are really cheap too, you can get shoes around $30 U.S.D. that will last you up to four months of really tough skateboarding. I once bought shoes for $35 U.S. and they lasted me four months, of skating every day for at least one hour after those four months they just started to rip and they got there first hole. Another time I bought these shoes that I saw advertised in a magazine for about $60 and I put in 3 holes where I drag my shoe for an Ollie in less the an hour of skating. These shoes that I am telling you about the ones for cheap also look nice, some of the shoes that I see at these sports stores you can tell that they are based on shoes that cost tons of money the kinds you see in magazines that cost a lot and look really nice. The cheap shoes look a lot like them. Anyway I HIGHLY recommend buying these cheap skate shoes that you find at sports stores, most of them are around half the price of a running shoe.
Ok now you have your skateboard, and some shoes it is time to learn some tricks. The first thing you want to know how to do is push and ride and manual a bit to get a sense of balance. This might take around a week to get good at. Just ride to school everyday or something and eventually it will be like walking. First trick you want to learn is an Ollie, the jump of skateboarding. Go to the trick tips to see how to learn that. Next you want to learn the shove it and then a F/S 180. After you learn these it is time for the hardest part of being a beginner, learning how to kickflip. Once you have that trick down, most people won't think of you as such a beginner. Then you are ready to go to skate parks and start learning grinds and board slides and doing some gaps
Front and backside guide
This is a very common topic amongst most beginners and even some intermediates and I think someone (skateboard city) should clear this all up so that is what I am going to do.
Ok first of all there isn't really one simple rule for knowing all of this but once you have read through all of this below you should know what is backside and what is frontside.
Grinds and Slides: For a F/S Grind or slide of any kind you have to come up to your target facing it - Your toes on your board should be facing the object, you should be able to see it in front of you not behind you. If that is what is going on then you know you are doing a F/S grind or slide of some sort, for a B/S you have to be the exact opposite. Your back should be facing your target - you should have to turn your head and look over your shoulder to see it and the heels of your feet should be pointing at the target, then you know that it is Backside. Many people get confused on this because the think the easier one should be called a frontside and harder a backside. This is kind of correct if you think like most people on a 50-50, that F/S is easier then B/S, or that you learned F/S first. Then when you are talking about board slides a B/S is easier and most people call it a F/S. That is wrong, go by the rules above...
Spins and Flatland Tricks: Ok this is even more confusing then Grinds and Slides, but once again, once you understand this it is very simple. For tricks where you spin, like 180's, 360's and so on, a F/S would be when you are turning and for the first 90-180 your can see what is going on in front of you. For example if you are regular and you are doing a normal (Not fakie or nollie or w/e just normal) F/S 180 your shoulders turn to the left (If we were looking at your from a bird's eye view). For a goofy footed rider your shoulders would be turning to the right (again from a bird's eye view). For a B/S spin you should not be able to see what is going on in front of you for the first 90 degrees or more. Another rule for this is for a F/S your toes are facing outward the whole time (In front of you) and for a B/S your heels are facing outward, in front of you when you are spinning.
Now read that through a couple times until you understand it you have to understand spins before you understand flip tricks to actually get something out of this (The flat ground tricks part) Ok, so you got the spins now the flat ground stuff isn't much harder to understand, all you have to do is thing of you as being your board when it is spinning. So let's look at a 360 Flip (A B/S 360 pop-shove-it with a kickflip) I will explain how I got all of that in the (? ) things right now. You know that a B/s 360 is when your heels and back are facing outwards/forwards for the first 90-180 degrees or so and when you cannot see what is in front of you for at least the first 90 degrees of the turn. So think of yourself as being your board when doing a 360 flip (don't worry about the kickflip part, that's just extra) if you were the board all of the rules would apply to a B/S 360 (I am not listing them again...) So you know that a 360 flip is a B/S 360 Pop-Shove-It and then the extra that is left is the kickflip.
Review: Ok so now you know all you need to know about B/S and frontside, the same rules apply to when doing fakie, switch and nollie. So If you can see what is in front of you for the first 90-180 degrees and you are doing a Fakie 180 you know you are doing a Fakie F/S 180, or a F/S Half-Cab. If you are doing a nollie 360 and for the first 90 degrees your back is facing the direction you are going and you cannot see what is in front of you then you know you are doing a Nollie B/S 360.?
The same rules apply to 360's and 180's and any other spins, the only thing you need to see to tell if it is a B/S or an F/S for a spin is the first 90-180 degrees of the spin. If you really know your stuff you can just tell after the first noticeable turn in the air. Whether that is 1 degree or 15 doesn't matter, as long as you know what is what.
Q & A
Q. What is the ABEC? Does it matter?
A. Well "ABEC" is a the rating/scale given to most bearings. The scale/rating goes in odd numbers from 3, 5, 7, & 9. The scale/rating primarily tells how fast the bearings will go. The higher the number, the faster the bearing. Though most bearing don't have them, for the oens that do, all you have to know is that the higher the rating, the faster it will go.
Q. I just got new trucks, and they wont turn? Are they broken?
A. Well, the main problem with new trucks is the tightness, not that they are broken. If you get new trucks, they will be quite loose. Assuming you're new at skating, you wont be used to the board. With this, you will probably tighten your trucks for added balance. The more you tighten your trucks, the less you will be able to turn. If your trucks are too tight, then the nut on the kingpin will crush the bushing, not allowing it turn. The solution is, that once you are comtorble with your board, loosen the truck. You will find that the more you loosen them, the more and easier turn you can make. If you happen to like your trucks tight, get harder bushings. If you like looser trucks, then get looser bearings. Though this is not really needed on looser trucks, it will be very, very helpful to get them on tighter trucks. The way the bushing works, is that if they are tighter and you have harder bushings, then the nut will press in the bushing but not crush. This assure that you will still be able to turn, just a lot less.
Q. Where can I find a good board to skate?
A. Well, first off, there are many place where you could purchase a board. Though, with all the internet shops, it is still probably best if you were to buy your board at a skateshop. The reason for this is that, at the skate shop you can get a feel for the boards, finding out what sizes, concave, and width you like the best. If you happen to don't have a shop, try calling up your shop and asking them what different boards are like.
Q. What end of the board is the tail?
A. For the tail of the board, many people will tell you that its preferance. This isn't true however. Though either end is capable of being the tail, the lower end is the actuall tail. The way to find this out is to simple turn your board on its side and find which one is lower. Also, if you look closly you'll notice that the wider side is the nose. Though, if you have already used the actuall nose of the board as a tail, it wont make that much of a difference.
Q. Whats a good brand for begginners?
A. Well, this is a hard question to answer. First off, you have to know what you like in a board. Do this by stepping around on some boards and finding a feel you like. For bearings, get Bones Reds. They're cheap (at $16 a pack), and are fast. For your first trucks get Indepdent Stage 9's. These are probabaly best for begginners due to the fact that they are very popular, light, strong and are the oldest truck company around. They are even the base model for all other trucks. On wheels, most wheels are the same. If you want to get something good, get either Rictas, Darkstar, or Spitfire. Try getting 53mm or smaller. For their hardness, get 98 - 10A, or 100DD. For grip and hardware, just get shorty, its the best.
Q. What are riser pads? Do I need them?
A. Well, riser pads are little peices of hard plastic about 1/8" thick. They go between your trucks baseplate and the bottom of your deck. They are used to raise the deck to prevent wheel bite on wheels 53mm or larger. They also help prevent pressure cracks and help soften landings. Seeing as they are hard plastic though, they only soften the landings by a little. If you want something that will help soften the landing more, but shock pads. Shock pads still raise the board but shock pads are made out of a softer plastic so they take more of an impact.
Q. How do I stop?
A. Well the easiest way to stop, isnt always the best. One way, is the push down on the tail like you're doing a manual, but wrong. Though this may slow you down fast, it also wears on your board and causes a razor tail quickly. A second way of stopping is power sliding. Power slides are where you push the board forward so that it slides across the ground. Once you push it, you and your body will be facing straight ahead. After you get into the positrion, you'll need to leen backand ride the slide for as long as possible. Though, if you only want to slow down a little, you can quickly powerslide, and then pull out of it.
Q. What about brand?
A. Well, the brand of a skateboard does matter. The reason it matters is because each brand is different. Each boards have different shapes, different durabilitys and pop. Even though they are all different, however, the prefernce to which brand you like is your personall choice.
How do you get better?
A. Practice and Dedication. If you're going to skate and make something out of it, you've gotta practice, and get out there and skate. Though this will take time, if you plan on making something out of skateboarding, you will be rewarded. Remember though, don't push yourself to hard or you might get hurt.
Pushing Guide
This is for all of the people that wonder about their stances:
Stance
Regular: Left foot in front, right foot in back
Goofy: Right foot in front, left foot in back
Pushing
Regular: Push with right foot
Goofy: Push with left foot
Mongo Regular: Push with front (left) foot
Mongo Goofy: Push with front (right) foot
Finding your Stance
1) Kick a ball. Which ever foot you used to kick it, will most likely be your back foot, on the tail
2) Walk up stairs. Which ever foot you took your first step with, will probably be you back foot, on the tail
3) Okay, for this one, when I tell you to stop reading, you need to stop reading or else it wont work. Go find someone and ask them to shove you from behind...STOP READING!...whichever foot you used to catch youself with, will probably be the foot you use as your back foot, on the tail
stances
normal
There are two kinds of normal. Depends what had you are. If your left handed then your right foot should be forward. If your right handed then you left should be forward. Choose whichever way you are more comfortable with.
If your left foot forward you are regular.
If your right foot forward you are goofy.
Switch stance
Switch stance is the opposite of your regular stance. If you ride normally lef foot forward (regular) then your Switch Stance will be right foot forward. If you ride normally left foot forward (goofy) then your Switch Stance will be right foot forward.
Fakie stance
You have to know your normal stance for this. All you have to do is ride back wards in your normal stance.
Basic tricks
Body varial:
This is the simplest trick ever invented. This is not really a trick thought it is something you can add to other tricks. This also helps for balance when your a beginner.
All you have to do is stand on your board just up (not Ollie just jump) and turn a 180 and your done!
Ollie:
The ollie is the root of most skateboard tricks. It is the jump of skateboarding. By popping your board and jumping you will get your board a little bit off the ground, then by dragging your front foot up the board to the nose, you will suck the board higher and even it out, to be even with the ground.
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This is usually the first trick you learn in skateboarding. Most people give up when they can't do in after a week. But if you practice a lot you will be able to do it. NOTE: Notice how Drag and Dragging are Bold. This is because it is the most important thing in an Ollie, at least when your learning.
Place your feet as followed: Back foot on the tail and the front in the middle of your board. With the back foot quickly pop your foot down and snap it back up. At the same time you are popping you should be Dragging your front foot up the board. As soon as your front foot reaches the front truck you need to but your back foot on the back trucks and push down. The ground is coming so bend your knees. The key word is DRAG you have to drag your foot up a lot of people just slam their for as soon as they pop but you need to DRAG. Usually what happens is you learn to slam your foot down as soon as you pop I can't say enough about this because almost everyone slams. YOU NEED TO DRAG!! Another thing that happens but not as much and this bad habit can be easily fixed. When you pop sometimes your board doesn\'t get in the air because you didn\'t snap you foot back up. You need to put your foot back as quick as possible. From hear I can't tell you much more you have to practice, practice, practice. If your still slamming your foot not DRAGGING then you probably know that I feel like I am talking to a brick wall or lamp post. You need to DRAG. If you want to get a higher Ollie then you have to pop quicker and DRAG higher on your board. Start small Ollie hockey sticks around 8 sticks is usually a deck high so from their on you need to stack decks cause it is easier to put a deck up then to put 8 hockey sticks stacked up. I good thing to start doing is Ollie stairs. Like 3 sets and 5's and stuff like that try to Ollie of high drop offs and don't be afraid. Try it if you have a chance that you could possibly land the worst thing is not to try.
kickflip:
The kickflip is considered the most difficult, basic trick. It combines the ollie with the skateboard doing a barrel roll, where it just rotates on an axis that goes across length ways. It rotates counter clockwise when looking from behind. Once the kickflip is learned, a lot more difficult tricks that combine the kickflip with other rotations become possible to learn. The stance of this trick, is similar to an ollie, but the front foot is usually closer to the heel edge of the board. Kickflips are one of the most difficult tricks to learn when you first start skating. You should be able to Ollie at least one deck and be fairly familiar with skateboarding.
It is better to learn tricks moving so take a little push so your moving a bit then setup in your stance. I like you have my front foot half way into the board and right about middle, my back foot is usually setup like an Ollie. Make sure you are comfortable with your stance if you are falling over all the time move your front foot more into the board. Ok now you have your stance, pop down and start dragging your front foot up like an Ollie and drag until you reach your bolts. The only difference about this drag and your Ollie drag is that you foot drags on and angle until it falls of the edge and spins the board. Remember to pop really hard and really flick the board out with your foot, it helps your board spin. Once you have practiced the spinning and can spin a full kickflip almost directly under your feet (not in front, be sure not to kick the board in front of you when you spin it) the you should now practice catching the board with both feet.
This is where most people have trouble, getting both their feet onto the board. You want to really pop your board hard then tuck up. When you hear all those other people saying to you look down see the grip tape? then catch the board! They are right there just to lazy to help you. One of the best things to do is try to focus less on spinning the board and more on landing with two feet. So just try to spin half a kickflip and try to catch and land it with both of your feet. When you can do that then don't change how you pop or drag just flick a little harder so you can get the full kickflip around. It is pretty hard to land both of your feet if you board is spinning up and down but this is hard to control when you go off a ramp (I'm not just making excuses for the pictures having the board spin up and down. What? I'm not!). To help the board spin level with the ground have your front foot up a bit on the board and not so much back. Just move it up till the board spins level, another thing is lean forward when you pop and drag or put some more weight on your front foot.
If you have tried spinning the board half a kickflip and landing it and did that for a while and it didn't help then you can do something else. First practice spinning the board and having Only your back foot land and your front foot to the side of the board. Then try the same thing except have only your front foot land and your back foot on the side of the board. Do this for a while and then try your kickflips, it should help.
Remember to always try this trick with a bit of speed and don't be afraid to land on the board. If you are still having trouble after all the tips I can give you then post a message in the message board and some one will try to help you
50-50 grind:
There are a lot of ways you can get onto a 50-50 I will try to explain them all I have 3 ways:
1. Ride on to a 50-50
This has no real challenge to it at all. Although this is a good way to learn to grind but rarely will you find a grinding pole that you just ride on to. Just keep your feet over your trucks and it should be just like riding on the ground. If finding a curb that you can ride onto be prepared to slow down quickly.
2. Ollie Forward onto a 50-50
This is easier if you know how to Ollie high and have good balance when you land. Approach your target at a comfortable speed and Ollie. When you start coming down on to your grind then your feet should be over the trucks. This will take a while to learn but if you can Ollie high it shouldn't be a problem!
3. Ollie sideways onto a 50-50
This being to most popular way to get onto a 50-50 it is also the hardest to learn for most. First you need to learn how to Ollie sideways. Place your feet in Ollie position and when dragging your foot try to drag your foot out toward your target. Helpful hint: when Ollieing try to jump toward your target and keep the board directly under your feet. Try to keep your board parallel to your grind and your landing should be no problem. Practice this on a waxed curb or a fun-box if you have one!
well that ends my first guide to skatboarding
just wanted to post this in case you want to learn.
Ok, so you want to start skateboarding, the first thing you need to do is the gear. Skateboarding is a big sport now and a lot of companies are trying to get noticed, lower there prices is one thing they do, it isn't the best idea to by a Walmart or Zellers skateboard and now a days you can usually get a really good board for a low price. Go to a local skate shop and tell the guy you want to start skating but don't have lot's of money. He will probably point you straight to the decks, the blank decks. I know when you start skating you want pictures but later you will realize it's not a big factor of buying a deck. Look at the deck, now you have to know something to judge if it is good or not. First thing you want to look at the width, it should be big enough so that when you step on it your feet hang out on both sides, I would recommend starting with a 7.5" deck. Most people like that size and keep with it the whole time they skate. Then you should look at the concave, (the dip in the board, it helps you flip tricks and it feels nice) it doesn't matter much at the start, later you will find out if you like them or not as you go through decks and try other peoples boards. If the deck look alright just take it, black decks are usually cheaper then decks with pictures. Now you need some trucks, all trucks pretty much cost the same, but if there is no picture they can cost less. I would recommend starting with something durable, strong and that turns well. Independent's are a good choice. For a beginner all wheels are the same, only the color and picture are different. A good choice of wheels are bullets, they are blank wheels (even though they do have a little picture) and they are really hard, but not too hard. They last forever and don't chip, plus they cost less then most wheels. Next are bearings, you will find that most bearings are rated ABEC 3, 5 or 7., For a beginner 3's are perfect, even for people like me that have been skating a long time ABEC 3's are still good. A good type of bearings to start with are Reds. A lot of people like them, they aren't bad and they don't cost too much. Everything else won't matter as much, hardware, risers and grip tape don't matter a lot.
Having skate shoes helps a lot, they are designed to be wide and stable so it is very hard for you to land on the side of you foot and damage your ankle. They are also designed to withstand the way you treat them when you skate. Now since skate shoes are one of the biggest style of shoes you will see lot's of people wearing them and many new companies are coming out. If you go to a sports store and look at some shoes I will pretty much guarantee you that you will find some kind of skate shoe. Sports stores have great shoes, I admit I used to by shoes from there, I find they last longer then some of the more well known companies like DC or Osiris. These shoes that I am talking about (the sports store shoes) are really cheap too, you can get shoes around $30 U.S.D. that will last you up to four months of really tough skateboarding. I once bought shoes for $35 U.S. and they lasted me four months, of skating every day for at least one hour after those four months they just started to rip and they got there first hole. Another time I bought these shoes that I saw advertised in a magazine for about $60 and I put in 3 holes where I drag my shoe for an Ollie in less the an hour of skating. These shoes that I am telling you about the ones for cheap also look nice, some of the shoes that I see at these sports stores you can tell that they are based on shoes that cost tons of money the kinds you see in magazines that cost a lot and look really nice. The cheap shoes look a lot like them. Anyway I HIGHLY recommend buying these cheap skate shoes that you find at sports stores, most of them are around half the price of a running shoe.
Ok now you have your skateboard, and some shoes it is time to learn some tricks. The first thing you want to know how to do is push and ride and manual a bit to get a sense of balance. This might take around a week to get good at. Just ride to school everyday or something and eventually it will be like walking. First trick you want to learn is an Ollie, the jump of skateboarding. Go to the trick tips to see how to learn that. Next you want to learn the shove it and then a F/S 180. After you learn these it is time for the hardest part of being a beginner, learning how to kickflip. Once you have that trick down, most people won't think of you as such a beginner. Then you are ready to go to skate parks and start learning grinds and board slides and doing some gaps
Front and backside guide
This is a very common topic amongst most beginners and even some intermediates and I think someone (skateboard city) should clear this all up so that is what I am going to do.
Ok first of all there isn't really one simple rule for knowing all of this but once you have read through all of this below you should know what is backside and what is frontside.
Grinds and Slides: For a F/S Grind or slide of any kind you have to come up to your target facing it - Your toes on your board should be facing the object, you should be able to see it in front of you not behind you. If that is what is going on then you know you are doing a F/S grind or slide of some sort, for a B/S you have to be the exact opposite. Your back should be facing your target - you should have to turn your head and look over your shoulder to see it and the heels of your feet should be pointing at the target, then you know that it is Backside. Many people get confused on this because the think the easier one should be called a frontside and harder a backside. This is kind of correct if you think like most people on a 50-50, that F/S is easier then B/S, or that you learned F/S first. Then when you are talking about board slides a B/S is easier and most people call it a F/S. That is wrong, go by the rules above...
Spins and Flatland Tricks: Ok this is even more confusing then Grinds and Slides, but once again, once you understand this it is very simple. For tricks where you spin, like 180's, 360's and so on, a F/S would be when you are turning and for the first 90-180 your can see what is going on in front of you. For example if you are regular and you are doing a normal (Not fakie or nollie or w/e just normal) F/S 180 your shoulders turn to the left (If we were looking at your from a bird's eye view). For a goofy footed rider your shoulders would be turning to the right (again from a bird's eye view). For a B/S spin you should not be able to see what is going on in front of you for the first 90 degrees or more. Another rule for this is for a F/S your toes are facing outward the whole time (In front of you) and for a B/S your heels are facing outward, in front of you when you are spinning.
Now read that through a couple times until you understand it you have to understand spins before you understand flip tricks to actually get something out of this (The flat ground tricks part) Ok, so you got the spins now the flat ground stuff isn't much harder to understand, all you have to do is thing of you as being your board when it is spinning. So let's look at a 360 Flip (A B/S 360 pop-shove-it with a kickflip) I will explain how I got all of that in the (? ) things right now. You know that a B/s 360 is when your heels and back are facing outwards/forwards for the first 90-180 degrees or so and when you cannot see what is in front of you for at least the first 90 degrees of the turn. So think of yourself as being your board when doing a 360 flip (don't worry about the kickflip part, that's just extra) if you were the board all of the rules would apply to a B/S 360 (I am not listing them again...) So you know that a 360 flip is a B/S 360 Pop-Shove-It and then the extra that is left is the kickflip.
Review: Ok so now you know all you need to know about B/S and frontside, the same rules apply to when doing fakie, switch and nollie. So If you can see what is in front of you for the first 90-180 degrees and you are doing a Fakie 180 you know you are doing a Fakie F/S 180, or a F/S Half-Cab. If you are doing a nollie 360 and for the first 90 degrees your back is facing the direction you are going and you cannot see what is in front of you then you know you are doing a Nollie B/S 360.?
The same rules apply to 360's and 180's and any other spins, the only thing you need to see to tell if it is a B/S or an F/S for a spin is the first 90-180 degrees of the spin. If you really know your stuff you can just tell after the first noticeable turn in the air. Whether that is 1 degree or 15 doesn't matter, as long as you know what is what.
Q & A
Q. What is the ABEC? Does it matter?
A. Well "ABEC" is a the rating/scale given to most bearings. The scale/rating goes in odd numbers from 3, 5, 7, & 9. The scale/rating primarily tells how fast the bearings will go. The higher the number, the faster the bearing. Though most bearing don't have them, for the oens that do, all you have to know is that the higher the rating, the faster it will go.
Q. I just got new trucks, and they wont turn? Are they broken?
A. Well, the main problem with new trucks is the tightness, not that they are broken. If you get new trucks, they will be quite loose. Assuming you're new at skating, you wont be used to the board. With this, you will probably tighten your trucks for added balance. The more you tighten your trucks, the less you will be able to turn. If your trucks are too tight, then the nut on the kingpin will crush the bushing, not allowing it turn. The solution is, that once you are comtorble with your board, loosen the truck. You will find that the more you loosen them, the more and easier turn you can make. If you happen to like your trucks tight, get harder bushings. If you like looser trucks, then get looser bearings. Though this is not really needed on looser trucks, it will be very, very helpful to get them on tighter trucks. The way the bushing works, is that if they are tighter and you have harder bushings, then the nut will press in the bushing but not crush. This assure that you will still be able to turn, just a lot less.
Q. Where can I find a good board to skate?
A. Well, first off, there are many place where you could purchase a board. Though, with all the internet shops, it is still probably best if you were to buy your board at a skateshop. The reason for this is that, at the skate shop you can get a feel for the boards, finding out what sizes, concave, and width you like the best. If you happen to don't have a shop, try calling up your shop and asking them what different boards are like.
Q. What end of the board is the tail?
A. For the tail of the board, many people will tell you that its preferance. This isn't true however. Though either end is capable of being the tail, the lower end is the actuall tail. The way to find this out is to simple turn your board on its side and find which one is lower. Also, if you look closly you'll notice that the wider side is the nose. Though, if you have already used the actuall nose of the board as a tail, it wont make that much of a difference.
Q. Whats a good brand for begginners?
A. Well, this is a hard question to answer. First off, you have to know what you like in a board. Do this by stepping around on some boards and finding a feel you like. For bearings, get Bones Reds. They're cheap (at $16 a pack), and are fast. For your first trucks get Indepdent Stage 9's. These are probabaly best for begginners due to the fact that they are very popular, light, strong and are the oldest truck company around. They are even the base model for all other trucks. On wheels, most wheels are the same. If you want to get something good, get either Rictas, Darkstar, or Spitfire. Try getting 53mm or smaller. For their hardness, get 98 - 10A, or 100DD. For grip and hardware, just get shorty, its the best.
Q. What are riser pads? Do I need them?
A. Well, riser pads are little peices of hard plastic about 1/8" thick. They go between your trucks baseplate and the bottom of your deck. They are used to raise the deck to prevent wheel bite on wheels 53mm or larger. They also help prevent pressure cracks and help soften landings. Seeing as they are hard plastic though, they only soften the landings by a little. If you want something that will help soften the landing more, but shock pads. Shock pads still raise the board but shock pads are made out of a softer plastic so they take more of an impact.
Q. How do I stop?
A. Well the easiest way to stop, isnt always the best. One way, is the push down on the tail like you're doing a manual, but wrong. Though this may slow you down fast, it also wears on your board and causes a razor tail quickly. A second way of stopping is power sliding. Power slides are where you push the board forward so that it slides across the ground. Once you push it, you and your body will be facing straight ahead. After you get into the positrion, you'll need to leen backand ride the slide for as long as possible. Though, if you only want to slow down a little, you can quickly powerslide, and then pull out of it.
Q. What about brand?
A. Well, the brand of a skateboard does matter. The reason it matters is because each brand is different. Each boards have different shapes, different durabilitys and pop. Even though they are all different, however, the prefernce to which brand you like is your personall choice.
How do you get better?
A. Practice and Dedication. If you're going to skate and make something out of it, you've gotta practice, and get out there and skate. Though this will take time, if you plan on making something out of skateboarding, you will be rewarded. Remember though, don't push yourself to hard or you might get hurt.
Pushing Guide
This is for all of the people that wonder about their stances:
Stance
Regular: Left foot in front, right foot in back
Goofy: Right foot in front, left foot in back
Pushing
Regular: Push with right foot
Goofy: Push with left foot
Mongo Regular: Push with front (left) foot
Mongo Goofy: Push with front (right) foot
Finding your Stance
1) Kick a ball. Which ever foot you used to kick it, will most likely be your back foot, on the tail
2) Walk up stairs. Which ever foot you took your first step with, will probably be you back foot, on the tail
3) Okay, for this one, when I tell you to stop reading, you need to stop reading or else it wont work. Go find someone and ask them to shove you from behind...STOP READING!...whichever foot you used to catch youself with, will probably be the foot you use as your back foot, on the tail
stances
normal
There are two kinds of normal. Depends what had you are. If your left handed then your right foot should be forward. If your right handed then you left should be forward. Choose whichever way you are more comfortable with.
If your left foot forward you are regular.
If your right foot forward you are goofy.
Switch stance
Switch stance is the opposite of your regular stance. If you ride normally lef foot forward (regular) then your Switch Stance will be right foot forward. If you ride normally left foot forward (goofy) then your Switch Stance will be right foot forward.
Fakie stance
You have to know your normal stance for this. All you have to do is ride back wards in your normal stance.
Basic tricks
Body varial:
This is the simplest trick ever invented. This is not really a trick thought it is something you can add to other tricks. This also helps for balance when your a beginner.
All you have to do is stand on your board just up (not Ollie just jump) and turn a 180 and your done!
Ollie:
The ollie is the root of most skateboard tricks. It is the jump of skateboarding. By popping your board and jumping you will get your board a little bit off the ground, then by dragging your front foot up the board to the nose, you will suck the board higher and even it out, to be even with the ground.
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This is usually the first trick you learn in skateboarding. Most people give up when they can't do in after a week. But if you practice a lot you will be able to do it. NOTE: Notice how Drag and Dragging are Bold. This is because it is the most important thing in an Ollie, at least when your learning.
Place your feet as followed: Back foot on the tail and the front in the middle of your board. With the back foot quickly pop your foot down and snap it back up. At the same time you are popping you should be Dragging your front foot up the board. As soon as your front foot reaches the front truck you need to but your back foot on the back trucks and push down. The ground is coming so bend your knees. The key word is DRAG you have to drag your foot up a lot of people just slam their for as soon as they pop but you need to DRAG. Usually what happens is you learn to slam your foot down as soon as you pop I can't say enough about this because almost everyone slams. YOU NEED TO DRAG!! Another thing that happens but not as much and this bad habit can be easily fixed. When you pop sometimes your board doesn\'t get in the air because you didn\'t snap you foot back up. You need to put your foot back as quick as possible. From hear I can't tell you much more you have to practice, practice, practice. If your still slamming your foot not DRAGGING then you probably know that I feel like I am talking to a brick wall or lamp post. You need to DRAG. If you want to get a higher Ollie then you have to pop quicker and DRAG higher on your board. Start small Ollie hockey sticks around 8 sticks is usually a deck high so from their on you need to stack decks cause it is easier to put a deck up then to put 8 hockey sticks stacked up. I good thing to start doing is Ollie stairs. Like 3 sets and 5's and stuff like that try to Ollie of high drop offs and don't be afraid. Try it if you have a chance that you could possibly land the worst thing is not to try.
kickflip:
The kickflip is considered the most difficult, basic trick. It combines the ollie with the skateboard doing a barrel roll, where it just rotates on an axis that goes across length ways. It rotates counter clockwise when looking from behind. Once the kickflip is learned, a lot more difficult tricks that combine the kickflip with other rotations become possible to learn. The stance of this trick, is similar to an ollie, but the front foot is usually closer to the heel edge of the board. Kickflips are one of the most difficult tricks to learn when you first start skating. You should be able to Ollie at least one deck and be fairly familiar with skateboarding.
It is better to learn tricks moving so take a little push so your moving a bit then setup in your stance. I like you have my front foot half way into the board and right about middle, my back foot is usually setup like an Ollie. Make sure you are comfortable with your stance if you are falling over all the time move your front foot more into the board. Ok now you have your stance, pop down and start dragging your front foot up like an Ollie and drag until you reach your bolts. The only difference about this drag and your Ollie drag is that you foot drags on and angle until it falls of the edge and spins the board. Remember to pop really hard and really flick the board out with your foot, it helps your board spin. Once you have practiced the spinning and can spin a full kickflip almost directly under your feet (not in front, be sure not to kick the board in front of you when you spin it) the you should now practice catching the board with both feet.
This is where most people have trouble, getting both their feet onto the board. You want to really pop your board hard then tuck up. When you hear all those other people saying to you look down see the grip tape? then catch the board! They are right there just to lazy to help you. One of the best things to do is try to focus less on spinning the board and more on landing with two feet. So just try to spin half a kickflip and try to catch and land it with both of your feet. When you can do that then don't change how you pop or drag just flick a little harder so you can get the full kickflip around. It is pretty hard to land both of your feet if you board is spinning up and down but this is hard to control when you go off a ramp (I'm not just making excuses for the pictures having the board spin up and down. What? I'm not!). To help the board spin level with the ground have your front foot up a bit on the board and not so much back. Just move it up till the board spins level, another thing is lean forward when you pop and drag or put some more weight on your front foot.
If you have tried spinning the board half a kickflip and landing it and did that for a while and it didn't help then you can do something else. First practice spinning the board and having Only your back foot land and your front foot to the side of the board. Then try the same thing except have only your front foot land and your back foot on the side of the board. Do this for a while and then try your kickflips, it should help.
Remember to always try this trick with a bit of speed and don't be afraid to land on the board. If you are still having trouble after all the tips I can give you then post a message in the message board and some one will try to help you
50-50 grind:
There are a lot of ways you can get onto a 50-50 I will try to explain them all I have 3 ways:
1. Ride on to a 50-50
This has no real challenge to it at all. Although this is a good way to learn to grind but rarely will you find a grinding pole that you just ride on to. Just keep your feet over your trucks and it should be just like riding on the ground. If finding a curb that you can ride onto be prepared to slow down quickly.
2. Ollie Forward onto a 50-50
This is easier if you know how to Ollie high and have good balance when you land. Approach your target at a comfortable speed and Ollie. When you start coming down on to your grind then your feet should be over the trucks. This will take a while to learn but if you can Ollie high it shouldn't be a problem!
3. Ollie sideways onto a 50-50
This being to most popular way to get onto a 50-50 it is also the hardest to learn for most. First you need to learn how to Ollie sideways. Place your feet in Ollie position and when dragging your foot try to drag your foot out toward your target. Helpful hint: when Ollieing try to jump toward your target and keep the board directly under your feet. Try to keep your board parallel to your grind and your landing should be no problem. Practice this on a waxed curb or a fun-box if you have one!
well that ends my first guide to skatboarding
